Follow-up of the re-evaluation of sulfur dioxide (E 220), sodium sulfite (E 221), sodium bisulfite (E 222), sodium metabisulfite (E 223), potassium metabisulfite (E 224), calcium sulfite (E 226), calcium bisulfite (E 227) and potassium bisulfite (E 228)

Sulfur dioxide-sulfites (E 220-228) were re-evaluated in 2016, resulting in the setting of a temporary ADI of 0.7 mg SO2 equivalents/kg bw per day. Following a European Commission call for data, the present follow-up opinion assesses data provided by interested business operators (IBOs) and additional evidence identified in the publicly available literature. No new biological or toxicological data addressing the data gaps described in the re-evaluation were submitted by IBOs. Taking into account data identified from the literature search, the Panel concluded that there was no substantial reduction in the uncertainties previously identified in the re-evaluation. Therefore, the Panel considered that the available toxicity database was inadequate to derive an ADI and withdrew the current temporary group acceptable daily intake (ADI). A margin of exposure (MOE) approach was considered appropriate to assess the risk for these food additives. A lower confidence limit of the benchmark dose of 38 mg SO2 equivalents/kg bw per day, which is lower than the previous reference point of 70 mg SO2 equivalents/kg bw per day, was estimated based on prolonged visual evoked potential latency. An assessment factor of 80 was applied for the assessment of the MoE. At the estimated dietary exposures, when using a refined exposure scenario (Data set D), MOEs at the maximum of 95th percentile ranges were below 80 for all population groups except for adolescents. The dietary exposures estimated using the maximum permitted levels would result in MOEs below 80 in all population groups at the maximum of the ranges of the mean, and for most of the population groups at both minimum and maximum of the ranges at the 95th percentile. The Panel concluded that this raises a safety concern for both dietary exposure scenarios. The Panel also performed a risk assessment for toxic elements present in sulfur dioxide-sulfites (E 220-228), based on data submitted by IBOs, and concluded that the maximum limits in the EU specifications for arsenic, lead and mercury should be lowered and a maximum limit for cadmium should be introduced

Safety assessment of titanium dioxide (E171) as a food additive

Acknowledgements: The Panel wishes to thank the following for the support provided to this scientific output: Ana Campos Fernandes, Laura Ciccolallo, Esraa Elewa, Galvin Eyong, Christina Kyrkou, Irene Munoz, Giorgia Vianello, the members of the SCER Cross-cutting WG nanotechnologies: Jacqueline Castenmiller, Mohammad Chaudhry, Roland Franz, David Gott, Stefan Weigel and the former member of the SCER Cross-cutting WG Genotoxicity Maciej Stepnik. The FAF Panel wishes to acknowledge all European competent institutions, Member State bodies and other organisations that provided data for this scientific output.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Can L2-English influence L1-German? The case of post-vocalic /r/

Ulbrich C, Ordin M. Can L2-English influence L1-German? The case of post-vocalic /r/. Journal of Phonetics. 2014;45:26-42.This paper reports findings of an experiment investigating the vocalisation and the realisation of post-vocalic In in varieties of English and German. The study aims to explore whether there are differences in the realisation of post-vocalic In produced by native speakers of a German non-rhotic variety spoken in Berlin as a result of long-term exposure to a rhotic and a non-rhotic variety of English spoken in Belfast and Oxford. Rhotic and non-rhotic varieties of English and German differ in the realisation of constrictive and non-constrictive post-vocalic /r/. The results of an auditory and acoustic analysis of post-vocalic In in the speakers' first language (L1) German and second language (L2) English suggest that exposure to a rhotic variety of English results in the realisation of a constrictive post-vocalic In in their non-rhotic native language, German. However, this effect cannot be generalised since it varies according to the phonetic contexts of post-vocalic Id. A usage-based approach can explain this variation by taking into account actual creative language use and communicative events, as well as cognitive aspects of language development. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Intonational alignment in second language acquisition

This study examines whether proficient second language speakers of Belfast English and Northern Standard German accommodate on cross-linguistically different intonational phonological categories and their gradient phonetic implementation in a collaborative map task. Belfast English and Northern Standard German select two different intonation patterns for nuclear pitch accents in declarative utterances. Northern Standard German features a falling pitch accent pattern. In Belfast English, a rising intonation contour is realised. The experiment investigates the production of phonologically different pitch accents in declarative utterances, gradient acoustic characteristics of pitch range in utterance-final position and peak alignment in nuclear pitch accents. Evidence was found for accommodation for all three prosodic phenomena. However, the accommodation patterns were asymmetric in the Belfast English and the Northern Standard German groups of speakers. Furthermore, both phonologically contrastive characteristics and gradient phonetic acoustic detail appeared to be influenced by factors of linguistic function, perceptual salience and familiarity

Acquisition of Timing Patterns in Second Language

Ordin M, Polyanskaya L, Ulbrich C. Acquisition of Timing Patterns in Second Language. In: Interspeech 2011. Florence: ISCA; 2011: 1129-1132

Perception of L2 speech rhythm by L1 listeners

Ordin M, Polyanskaya L, Ulbrich C. Perception of L2 speech rhythm by L1 listeners. Presented at the Phonetics, Phonology and Languages in Contact (Interspeech satellite conference), Paris III, Sorbonne Nouville

Contribution of timing patterns into perceived foreign accent

Polyanskaya L, Ordin M, Ulbrich C. Contribution of timing patterns into perceived foreign accent. In: Wagner P, ed. ESSV 2013. Dresden: TUD Press; 2013: 71-79

Structural Principles or Frequency of Use? : An ERP Experiment on the Learnability of Consonant Clusters

Phonological knowledge of a language involves knowledge about which segments can be combined under what conditions. Languages vary in the quantity and quality of licensed combinations, in particular sequences of consonants, with Polish being a language with a large inventory of such combinations. The present paper reports on a two-session experiment in which Polish-speaking adult participants learned nonce words with final consonant clusters. The aim was to study the role of two factors which potentially play a role in the learning of phonotactic structures: the phonological principle of sonority (ordering sound segments within the syllable according to their inherent loudness) and the (non-) existence as a usage-based phenomenon. EEG responses in two different time windows (adversely to behavioral responses) show linguistic processing by native speakers of Polish to be sensitive to both distinctions, in spite of the fact that Polish is rich in sonority-violating clusters. In particular, a general learning effect in terms of an N400 effect was found which was demonstrated to be different for sonority-obeying clusters than for sonority-violating clusters. Furthermore, significant interactions of formedness and session, and of existence and session, demonstrate that both factors, the sonority principle and the frequency pattern, play a role in the learning process.publishe